Every year I look forward to the arrival of Susie Dent's books on the state of the English language. She keeps track of new words, slang, technical jargon, and street language. I've reviewed The Language Report, Larpers and Shroomers, and Fanboys and Overdogs - and The Like Language report Innit is due later this autumn. But I think I have spotted what might become a new entry which comes from the world of political blogging. It's the use of spad - a contraction of 'Special Advisors', that class of paid helpers and spin doctors beloved by the Blair regime. To see the term in context, this is from a posting made yesterday.
"Any idea what Joan Hammell and Mick Halloran, Special Advisers to the DPM do for Prezza? Two SpAds seems excessive for a man with no proper role other than to provide amusement for the rest of us."If you know the answer, you can make a comment at Guido Fawkes
1 comment:
Roy
I've noticed how certain new words inveigle their way into the language. For example 'robust' has become a standard word now to suggest forcefulness combined with energy. One I noted this morning was 'eye watering increases', used by the Treasury to emphasise how much it would cost to build a new generation of nuclear power stations.
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